New beginnings
by Future Mrs Cullen-Pattinson
Summary: Bella Swan moves to the rainy town of Forks after her mother, Renee, dies. There, she is enlisted in college where she meets five people that will change her life forever. Much better than it sounds, trust me! All canon pairings, all human
1. Chapter 1 New Beginnings

**AN: I know that there are **_**way **_**too many Twilight themed university fanfics, but this is purely for my own enjoyment. You don't have to like it, but I would appreciate feedback and advice as to whether or not I carry on with the series. Thanks for reading! 3**

BELLA'S POINT OF VIEW

I held my folder above my head as if it would provide some form of protection against the downpour. I hurried along the sidewalk, standing as far away from the road as I could; desperately trying to avoid getting splashed by another car. My right side was already soaked with muddy water thanks to a careless lorry driver, and I wasn't prepared to go through that again. I would've run, but I knew that I was sure to fall down if I did, so I stuck with a brisk walk. I was an hour early, anyway, so my speed didn't really matter. Nevertheless, I preferred to walk speedily - I couldn't stand the rain. Soon enough, I rounded a corner and bumped into a set of wrought iron gates with delicately crafted flowers welded into the dark metal. My cheeks flushed bright red; I just hoped that nobody had seen me.

As soon as I managed to push the gates aside, I realized that this must be the vehicle entrance; the long, winding drive was far too long to possibly be considered for walking down. I sighed, and began the long walk up the tarmac slope; resigned to the fact that there wasn't a chance in hell of me being able to find the right entrance. A loud horn sounded behind me, and I jumped - spinning round to see a monstrous looking jeep facing me. There must've been something comical about my face, as the driver started laughing inside the cab. I scowled at him as he rolled down the window. "Hey, I'm Mike. Need a lift?" He ran a hand through his blond, spiky hair as he spoke and looked me up and down. I thought about this for a second - considering my options. Sighing, I walked to the passenger seat and opened the door. I stepped up into the jeep and sunk back into the leather seat. "Thanks, I'm Bella." I grinned at him, trying to look convincing. "I wasn't really up for walking up that hill." I admitted. He laughed and pressed down on the accelerator. "I don't think anyone in their right mind would be up for it." Mike chuckled, navigating around the parking lot and pulling into a space outside a building labelled "Reception". I laughed with him, and it sounded false, but he luckily didn't seem to notice. "I guessed you were new - I've never seen you around before - so it's best to check in here first, see where your dorm is." He continued to chatter as we walked toward the double-doors into the reception. We reached the doors, and he finally broke off. I looked up at him and found that he was staring at me. Quickly, I flicked my attention back to the floor - feeling my cheeks burn up. "I guess I'll see you around then, Bella," He turned around almost reluctantly, and walked back to his car. I quickly pushed through the doors and into the warmth of the office, shuddering with pleasure. A plump looking woman with red hair sat behind the desk, smiling pleasantly at me. "Hello, dear. Are you Isabella Swan?" I nodded shyly, and she handed me a pile of leaflets. "These should help you. There's a map, an information booklet, and the location of your dormitory." I looked at the map quickly, and found that my dorm was next to the cafeteria and the English block. That wasn't too bad. "You're a bit early, though, so your roommates won't be here for a while. That'll give you a chance to unpack." She beamed at me again, and I gave her my thanks before hurrying out of the door. A violent gale whipped the leaflets out of my grasp, and I swore under my breath. I should be at home in Phoenix right now, enjoying the sun that shined on the new semester of college in my hometown. But no - I was here, in the rainy little town of Forks at the start of the semester, chasing paper around in the rain. How did I end up here?

_BELLA'S FLASHBACK_

I threw myself down onto my bed; letting the tears flow freely down my cheeks. At least I didn't have to pretend to be happy here. My room was my sanctuary. I didn't have to pretend to be happy here - when I was here, nobody had to see me cry. It was private, peaceful. I could hear Phil moving around downstairs, and I tried to block out the noise. It made me feel guilty; the accident had shattered his life as thoroughly as it had mine, but he was coping. He still went to work everyday and earned enough to pay the bills. I, on the other hand, was not coping. Sure, I went to school and put on the whole "happy-go-lucky" charade, but people knew there was something wrong, that I wasn't the same as I used to be. Some of my old friends had even taken to avoiding me, but I had only vaguely noticed; my time at school went past in a blur now. That was a bonus. But when I returned home, reality kicked in again; an icy blade stabbed into my heart each time I walked through the door, each time I saw Phil's tormented face, each time we sat down to eat with an empty seat at the table. I tried to put on a happy face when I was around Phil, and although I knew he wasn't buying it, he didn't say anything. So now he lets me mope around up here in my bedroom; not talking, not eating, and not even moving unless it was absolutely necessary. I listen to music a lot, but only my Mom's old CDs. Debussy was her favourite. I'm not entirely sure why I still listen to them - it only makes me cry more, but it's as if I can't get through a day without hearing or seeing something that reminds me of her.

I remember her death very clearly.

I was in the car. She was sat next to me, singing along to some cheesy song on the radio and flicking her head around like some melodramatic pop star. I was laughing; something I never did these days. Renee turned to smile at me; it's almost ironic that such a seemingly insignificant moment could lead to so much pain. Mom didn't see the lorry coming round the corner - well, not until it was too late, anyway. It smashed into the driver's side of the car - my Mom's side of the car. I try not to think about what happened after that.

BELLA'S POINT OF VIEW

Although my map was drenched with filthy water, I somehow managed to find my way to my dorm. I jammed the key into the lock and twisted; hoping that I'd got the right one. Thankfully, the door swung to and I walked into the room. The walls were white, as was the carpet, and the furnishings were minimalistic and all an inky shade of black. A table with a vase of white roses, two black sofas, a standing lamp and a plasma screen on one of the walls. The southern wall was made entirely of glass (remind you of any other house?) which looked out to the campus garden. There were three doors at the opposite side of the room and four on the adjacent wall - probably bedrooms and bathrooms. I wasn't particularly keen on going to investigate, so I sunk down onto one of the black sofas and gave in to my tears.

**AN: The Cullen's will DEFINETELY be in the next chapter - but that chapter will only be written if I get a good review! Thanks guys (:**


	2. Chapter 2 New Roomies

My eyes were red and puffy by the time I was done crying. I looked at my watch, and realized that there were only about 10 minutes until everyone else started arriving. In a sudden panic, I leapt off of the sofa and dashed for the bathroom when I suddenly realized that I didn't actually know which of the many doors led to it. I sighed, and pulled on the closest door handle; hoping for the best. Damn - it was a bedroom. The walls and carpet were white, like the rest of the dorm, but the bed-linen was a luxurious shade of gold, as was the bookcase and wardrobe. It was pretty nice for a college, I concluded as I walked out of the room and shut the door behind me. I opened three of the other doors - each like the first bedroom, but with a different colour instead of gold - before I finally found the bathroom. It was vast, with several vanity tables and a large, white bathtub. There was a walk-in shower tucked into the corner of the room with a toilet and a sink next to it. I walked over to the sink and turned on the cold tap; allowing it to run for a while until it became ice-cold. I splashed the water over my face - making sure that I got my eyes - and grabbed the towel off of the rail beneath the sink. I rubbed my face with it vigorously; erasing all signs of the fact that I had been crying. I looked up to the mirror, and screamed when I saw a short figure behind me. The person looked startled and staggered backwards a bit - their eyebrows slanting downwards in worry. "Ohmygosh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" Her voice reminded me of wind chimes; high and melodic.

"Tha-- that's fine. I overreacted." My breathing was still a little off; I didn't like being surprised.  
"You must be Isabella. I'm Alice, and my friend Rosalie is just outside." The pixie-like girl continued, her face breaking into a beautiful, angelic smile.

"Would you mind calling me Bella? Isabella's just… Ugh." I shuddered at my full name; it was such a mouthful, and way too formal for my liking. "It's really nice to meet you, by the way." I added.

"Sure! We're gonna be _great_ friends!" She skipped up to me and embraced me warmly; her black, spiky bob brushing against my cheek. I beamed. She was far nicer than _any_ of the friends I had back in Phoenix, and I could tell that she was going to make my time here a lot more bearable. "Rose and I picked out our rooms last semester, so you're going to have to put up with the one that's left," She pulled a face - still managing to look beautiful while she did it. "Sorry."

"That's fine," I laughed. "First come, first served." She grinned at me; obviously pleased that I hadn't taken the news too badly.

"C'mon, I'll show you your room." Alice grabbed my hand and towed me out of the bathroom and into the seating area, where a devastatingly beautiful blonde girl was perched gracefully on one of the couches. She waved at me politely and smiled, showing a set of perfectly white teeth.

"_Please _tell me you're joking?!" She spoke into the phone which had been on the table in the centre of the room. The girl who I assumed must be Rosalie twiddled with the cord as she spoke. "Fine, I understand, Sir. No, I won't hurt them! Yes, okay, bye." She put the phone down and turned to scowl at us. "You will _never _guess what Mr Smith has just told me," Rosalie was seething with anger; her hands almost shaking with aggravation.  
"What? Tell me!" Alice squeaked, hopping up to Rose with a pleading expression on her face. I saw Rosalie's lips twitch upwards as she looked at her adorable friend dancing around on one foot.

"There aren't any dorms left, so we have to share with _boys_!" Alice's mouth dropped open as Rose announced the news, and I expect mine did something similar.

"No! They'll make it all messy! My beautiful dorm, _ruined_!" Alice squealed, covering her face with her hands and shaking with horror.

"It's okay, Alice; if they so much as touch _any _of your furniture, we'll throttle them." Rosalie laughed as I said this, but Alice still looked horrified at the prospect of _boys _moving into the dorm.

"Bella, I'll show you your room. I think Alice needs a little time to recover before she's ready to move again." Rosalie offered, and I took the opportunity gladly; wanting the chance to unpack before the guys arrived.

"Thanks Rose." I smiled at her, glad that she was just as friendly as Alice. She opened the door and allowed me to walk through.

"I'll leave you to unpack. Have fun!" She chuckled, shutting the door as she drifted out of the room. This room was beautiful; like the other bedrooms, the carpet and walls were white but the rest of the furnishings were a deep purple. Firstly, I walked to the bookcase; inspecting the collection of books carefully. Wuthering Heights was among the classics; that was a bonus. It was one of my favourites. I smiled, and began unpacking - neatly folding up each item of clothing before tucking it into my wardrobe. I hung up my dresses and jackets on the rail before stepping back to admire my work.

After some time, I heard Alice squealing my name. I dashed out into the other room and found my new friend stood in front of the door; staring at it intently as if it could explode at any moment.

"Where's the fire?" I joked.

"This isn't a time for joking, Bella! _Listen._" She hissed, still staring at the door. I did as I was told, and soon heard the noise of laughter and feet clumping down the corridor. I squealed involuntarily, and tensed as three solid knocks sounded on the door. "Oh my God! What do I do?!" Alice whispered, turning round to look at me intently.

"Well, I don't know, Alice. Maybe you could open the door?" I answered, smiling reassuringly at her. Rosalie materialized beside me and stepped forward, her hand resting on the door handle.

"No, Rose!" Alice cried, taking one last look around her beautiful dorm before Rosalie turned the handle. "Hey," Three voices sounded in unison from outside the corridor. I watched as Alice ran to her room and shut the door behind her. Bracing myself, I turned to face my new roomies - just hoping that they weren't slobs.


	3. Chapter 3 New Feelings

**AN: I know that hardly anybody is actually reading this series, but I don't really mind. I'd like to thank **_**bite-me-im-irish **_**for her support. Not only does she write fantastic Edward themed songs, but she actually **_**likes **_**my stories! She must be crazy xD. PLEASE REVIEW AFTER READING. Every bit of feedback helps. (:**

"_Hey," Three voices sounded in unison from outside the corridor. I watched as Alice ran to her room and shut the door behind her. Bracing myself, I turned to face my new roomies - just hoping that they weren't slobs._

Rosalie stepped backwards to allow the boys through the door, and they quickly shuffled in to the dorm; I think they could sense that they weren't particularly welcome here. They gathered in a loose semi-circle around the table, and the burliest of the three nudged the bronze-haired boy stood next to him and nodded over in my direction. I blushed and looked down, much to the amusement of the three boys who immediately burst into laughter.

"I'm Rosalie, or Rose and this is Bella," Rosalie gestured to me, which only increased my embarrassment. I waved at them shyly and they smiled back. "Our friend Alice is hiding in her room. She's scared of you." Rose said matter-of-factly.  
"Rosalie!" Alice screeched. She had obviously been listening, as she came storming out of her bedroom with her hands on her hips. Slowly, she turned to face the boys; unleashing the wrath of her glare on them. "And I am most certainly _not _scared - I just don't enjoy the thought of _boys _sharing _my _clean, nice-smelling dorm. Oh, and while I'm talking, if any of you break, stain, or rip _any _item of clothing or furniture in this dorm, you _will _pay and you _will _regret it for the rest of your life." Alice was positively fuming, and I was positive if they pushed her just a little bit more, she would explode. Luckily, she turned on her heel and walked back to her room; slamming the door behind her.

"Feisty. I like her." One of the boys spoke. His voice was soft, timid - a comment like this sounded strange coming out of his mouth. The other boy, who was more muscular with dark, curly hair, punched his brother in the arm playfully.

"Get in there, Jazz!" He laughed. It was a deep and booming sound that reminded me of a bear for some odd reason. "Jazz", or whatever the bigger boy had called him ran a hand through his blonde hair and sighed.

"Calm down, Emmett." Huh, Emmett? That was an odd name. Old fashioned. The bronze-haired boy turned to us with a sympathetic look on his face.

"I'm sorry about my brothers. I would love to tell you that they're not always like this, but that would be a lie. They're mad. I'm Edward, by the way, and these two are my friends, Jasper and Emmett." His voice was smooth and velvety, and I felt goose bumps rise on my arms as he spoke.

"Uhh, Rose? Do you wanna go see if Alice is okay? I can show them their rooms if you want." I offered; knowing that Rose would want to comfort her friend.

"Thanks, Bella," She beamed, darting away into Alice's bedroom. I stood still for a moment, unsure of what to do, when I remembered that I had company. I cleared my throat, and started toward the first free bedroom.

"Right," I said, opening the door and walking inside. "All of the rooms are practically the same, except they have a different theme colour. There's black, green and gold. I'll leave you guys to squabble over which room you want." I smiled pleasantly at them before quickly moving out of the danger zone and dashing to the safety of my own bedroom. There, I sank down onto the bed and sighed. At least I had another few days to relax until the tutoring and lectures began - that was a plus. I heard a chorus of laughter erupting from the other room; the gruff guffaw of Emmett, the soft laugh of Jasper, and - the one I was drawn to most - the warm chuckle of Edward. I mentally slapped myself for even believing that I had a chance with him when there were girls like Rose and Alice in the same dorm. I fell asleep with these negative thoughts swimming around my brain, which quickly turned into nightmares.

As soon as I woke up, I instantly regretted it. Alice was shaking my shoulders madly and screaming a slur of words in my ear; I was far too tired to make any sense of it. "Go 'way, Alice," I murmured, swatting at her with my hand.

"Listen to me, Bella!" She slapped me once across the face, with enough force to leave a mark. I stared at her, gob smacked, and she looked at me with a semi-apologetic expression on her face. "Sorry, I didn't mean for it to be _quite _that hard. Anyway, you're awake now - that's good. _Rose _and _Emmett _are going out _already!_" Whoa, I wasn't expecting that one - that's for sure. Why did all the good stuff happen when I was asleep?

"Really?" I asked, although I already knew the answer. Alice bobbed her head up and down repeatedly, and I leapt up off of the bed.

"Isn't that _sweet_?" Alice whisked me around the room and caught me as I stumbled over the carpet. I laughed at her enthusiasm, and embraced her petite frame.

"Did you know that Jasper likes you?" I asked curiously before I forgot. She tensed immediately, and I let go of her gently.

"You mean _like _likes me? I mean, he really, _really _likes me?" The words came out as more of a blur than anything else, but I managed to understand the gist of what she was saying.

"Well, I'm pretty sure. He said that you were feisty, and that he liked you." I grinned at her, and she exploded into a series of squeals and screams. "Shh, he'll think you're crazy if he hears you screaming!" That shut her up immediately. I chuckled and smoothed out her dress for her. "Go get 'em, tiger!" I whispered, pushing her toward the door - secretly hoping to get a little more sleep.

"But what about you, Bells?" Her voice was thick with concern, but I laughed it off.

"I can cope for half an hour without you, Alice." I chuckled, but her face remained worried.

"No, I mean, what about _your _boy? I mean, I've got Jasper, Rose has Emmett…" Her eyes popped out of her head as she added the third boy into the equation. "Edward! Ohmygod! You two would be sooo sweet together!" I scowled as she launched into a list of reasons why we were compatible and flopped back onto my bed with a sigh. I blocked out the irritating squeak of her voice for as long as I could before I finally spoke again.

"Chill, Alice." I rolled my eyes and ushered her out of my room so I could go back to sleep or get changed if I could be bothered. Reluctantly, she slouched out of the room and left me in peace.

After another half an hour or so of sleep, I decided it was a waste to use these free days sleeping, so I got up and staggered over to my wardrobe. A new dress was hanging up among my other more plain ones; it was bright red, strapless, and finished just above my knees. I raised my eyebrows, but quickly remembered that the prom was next week. I wasn't planning on going, but it couldn't hurt to try the thing on, could it? Before I could think about what I was doing, I had slipped the red silk over my head and shimmied it down over my body. I had to admit, it fit me perfectly and was extremely flattering, but I felt vain staring at myself in it. I was just about to take it off and push it to the very back of my wardrobe when my door swung open. I gasped and spun round, staring with wide-eyed shock at a half naked Edward. He was wearing sweats, but his chest was bare and as my eyes trailed upward towards his face, I found that it mirrored my shock.

"Oh, Jesus Christ!" He swore several times under his breath, but didn't attempt to move anywhere. He raked a hand through his coppery hair and looked me up and down. "Sorry, I was kinda looking for the shower." I just nodded; I knew that I'd burst out laughing if I opened my mouth. A crooked smile crept across his lips as he watched my face. I blushed madly, which only added to his amusement. "Erm, I'll go, then. Nice dress, by the way."

"Okay," I murmured, still shocked by his sudden entrance. I could've sworn that I heard him chuckle as he moved gracefully out of my bedroom door, shutting the door quietly behind him. Swiftly, I changed out of my dress and into a more comfortable pair of jeans and a tank top. My heart was still fluttering, and an image of Edward's chest popped into my mind. I rolled my eyes at this school-girl crush of mine, and composed myself before stepping out into the living room.

**AN: Rubbish ending, I know. I just kinda need a new chapter - this one's really cluttered and I don't like it xD. The next one will be better, I swear.**


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